


The King

by Catsinthebronx



Series: The Card [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 進撃の巨人 | Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan (Movies), 進撃！巨人中学校 | Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou | Attack on Titan: Junior High
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:53:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29259273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsinthebronx/pseuds/Catsinthebronx
Summary: You’re one of three vying for the spot as CEO of your father’s company,Although, this company has many dark secrets.You want to burn it to the ground, but in order to do that, you have to take someone else down too
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/You, Levi - Relationship
Series: The Card [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148627
Kudos: 2
Collections: The King





	The King

Your heart thumped excitedly at the sound of chatter that filled the ballroom you were currently looking down on. Men and women filled the space, many of who were top executives in their respective fields. These are just giant networking parties, but you were here for one specific reason. 

You glanced down at your hands, taking note of nude color on top of your finger tips, and the simple ring adorning your middle finger. You stare at it longingly, wondering if this is what you were truly meant to do. 

“Y/N....” You glance up, to see your brother Zeke, staring out into the pool of people as well, attempting to eye down potential partners. “Are you ready?” He asks coldly, not turning away to look at you. 

“Come on Zeke, She’s a natural. She knows what she’s doing, let her take charge for once this is her first public appearance.” A smaller yet more calming voice chimed in. This could only belong to your younger brother, Eren. You smile slightly, returning your gaze back to your hands. 

Some referred to the Jaeger’s as the bull sharks of cyber security field. Dominating most of the market, your father’s company had turned into a billion dollar corporation by the time you were 12. Your father, Grisha Jaeger, was the current CEO of this enterprise, who recently announced to the world he planned on retiring. However, He never revealed his successor stating that one of his three children would inherit the company. Immediately following this, you came into the frame of the media. 

When the news broke out most executives turned to your older brother Zeke, who to be fair was the most qualified out of the three of you. He was smart, always at least five steps ahead of everyone at all times; and most importantly. He licked the boots of the CEO day in and day out. If it made your father happy, Zeke would do it in a heartbeat, regardless of what he had to too. The thought made you cringe slightly. 

Compared to Zeke, you were just the little sister who could never in a million years run this company. You were never shown off or given the opportunity to prove your worth as a child. Zeke was always older and because of that, he always got to attend meetings and learn more about the trade. This ignited a fire under you to prove you too were competent to become a CEO. You studied hard and watched other areas of the markets to grow into, even dabbled in other hobbies just to prove you were more well rounded than Zeke. You felt ready to take your family on. Well, that was until you finally learned the family secret.

The thought made your stomach turn in knots. On the outside, Jaegar enterprises appeared to be a clean, family built empire; but in reality it was a big dirty money circle. Tax fraud, drug trades, money laundering galore oozed out of the steel castle that stood in the center of the city. This meant that whoever inherits the company is to continue this disgusting trade. Cyber security was just a front for what was really happening in the underground. And something you never wanted to be apart of. “Zeke my dear,” you place a hand on his shoulder, taking a deep breath, “I do love a good networking party. So please, let me have a little fun.” 

Confidently, you slide down the marble staircase that separated you from the ocean of sharks making small talk. Your first public appearance, and boy did you dress the part. The simple pink chiffon dress hugged your body beautifully, modest and elegant; it truly encased your personality. You were too busy to notice all the people staring at you. “Y/N!!” Eren panted, trying to keep up with you, “They’re all staring at us!” 

“Good, fresh blood in the water” you flash your younger brother a smile and paused slightly. You reached your hand up and placed it on top of his head, “We stick together, got it? I know you’re nervous, it’s okay Eren.” You stare into his deep green eyes, trying to ignore the sadness that fills them. 

Eren was a lot younger than you and Zeke. He tried his hardest to win Grisha’s approval, but it never worked. He had a heart of gold, something you never had. So you made it your goal to protect him at whatever cost, and let him roam free into the world to explore options besides our fathers business. But knowing Eren- he never let up. 

Flustered he pulled away, “Ugh Y/n, I’m not a little kid anymore” He grunts at you, his face turning pink. You’re about to respond until you’re interrupted,

“Well Ms Jaegar! What a pleasure seeing you here” the voice boomed from behind you. You took a deep breath a put on a smile. “Mr. Smith, please call me Y/n” 

Erwin Smith. 

You place your hand out for him to grab it, and gently place his lips onto it. “What a pleasant surprise, Y/n. And Zeke and Eren, I would also kiss your hands however it seems rather inappropriate” He smiles, flashing you a killer grin. 

Zeke jumps first to shake his hand, “Likewise Mr. Smith, charity events really do bring out the best in us, right Eren?” They both glance at the boy, who is still clearly embarrassed by your little interaction earlier. 

“O-oH Hi! I’m Eren, It’s very nice to meet you!” He stutters holding his hand out gently. God Dammit Eren, you giggle in your head. Zeke’s expression reads like a fucking book. He’s mortified. 

Erwin catches your smile and shakes Eren’s hand, introducing himself. “Eren Jaegar, I read your analysis awhile back on enhancing funding to lower income areas. It’s a very smart take, I’ll admit it-“ He pauses, allowing Eren the chance to speak. 

“Thank you sir, that really means a lot. I want to improve conditions in those areas, by providing more access to internet means we can dominate cyber security in that area. But it’s something I’m personally driven by..” He says. Erwin was right, Eren’s number crunching made sense. It would allow for expansion of the company but would also help him give back to an area he felt he needed to help. This is why I won’t let him inherit the company. 

Erwin decides not to push any further and Eren doesn’t seem to care, He’s overwhelmed. Zeke notices it and begins talking to Erwin about some foreign threats. You roll your eyes at the thought. Are you worried more about protecting people or more about keeping Dad’s drug trade alive and well. “If you‘ll excuse us, Eren and I are going to grab a drink,” Eren looks up, thanking you, “Would you like anything Mr. Smith?” 

“I think I’m suppose to be doing that for you Ms.Ja-“. You cut him off, “Mr. Smith, it’s Y/n” politely reminding him. It’s a way to get on a more personal level. 

“Whatever you’re having Y/n, I’ll gladly accept” 

And with that you and Eren strut over to a smaller section of the ballroom. Stopping occasionally to greet other people in the cyber security sector. “How ya doing Eren?” You ask after getting two glasses of wine, one white one red. 

“I’m okay! Nervous..” He trails off, “I just want to do this stuff for the right reasons you know. You get it. Zeke and Dad never did.” 

your heart aches a little bit. Eren always had that sadness in his eyes since his mom passed away when he was a child. You still remember the day clearly, hearing Eren scream out in pain like that. Something you never want to hear again. Needless to say, he didn’t speak to anyone for well over a year. “I understand Eren, and although she is not my birth mother, I know you are doing this for the right reason” Although he didn’t say the reason, you knew exactly why.

After walking back to the boys, you enter a riveting conversation about numbers and computer software, which is what Mr. Smith is involved with. A few other people had joined the conversation. You smiled gently at most of them, refraining yourself to tell Zeke to kindly shut the fuck up. “Well Zeke I’m Impressed, it seems you also have a plan for Jaegar Enterprise. Definitely a different take than Eren’s but I appreciate the versatility.” Zeke was clearly annoyed.

“Now what would you like to do?” Erwin turns to face you. It felt like a everything in the room had stopped. This was the question you were waiting for, it was time to start the plan. 

“Erwin” you giggle, “Unlike my brother’s I have other ventures outside of cyber security,” Hook... Line... and,..... “Like what?” Sinker... You didn’t expect Erwin to fall into the palm of your hand like that- but then again, nobody knows your true intentions. 

“Get married, start a family, continue with charity work” you pause, “I’m just here to be the Switzerland between these two..” 

Tsk

Your heart stops. Did someone see through my bullshit? You quickly compose yourself, hoping nobody saw through you. Take a deep breath Y/n. Lifting your shoulders back, you turn to face the person in utter disgust with your answer. 

To your surprise it was no other than Levi Ackerman. 

-

The Levi Ackerman. His cold grey eyes pierced right through your bullshit, and honestly Into your soul. He wore a crisp black suit, with his tie perfectly in place. His black hair framed his face perfectly, leaving only those pained eyes to meet yours. So this is Levi huh, he’s short. You think to yourself. “Oh Mr. Ackerman, what a pleasant surprise.” You boldly approach him. 

Levi owns another cyber security company that works closely with most people here. My father despises him. So this is who I’m suppose to take down. Now composed you meet him in the eyes and position yourself in front of him. You’re not backing down. “And who is your beautiful date?”  
A shorter girl with strawberry blonde hair stands next to Levi, sporting a dark green dress. “My assistant.” Levi states coldly. You can tell this woman is clearly hurt by his tone. “P-Petra Ral ma’am uh-Ms Jaegar.” Levi rolls his eyes. She really dropped the ball on that one. 

“Oh no need to be formal Petra, You may call me Y/n, Green is really your color” You shake her hand gently. The last thing on this planet I would want is for this short stack of a man to be my boss. Throw the girl a bone Levi. “And who’s your shadow?” You wink at Petra and Levi, spotting the blonde boy with blue eyes. You knew exactly who he was. 

“Armin Ar-“ He loudly chirps behind Levi and Petra causing Petra to jump by the sudden change in volume and Levi’s palms to twitch. So this is what makes you tick huh? 

“Arlert. Armin Arlert it is truly a pleasure to meet you!” He steps out from behind to two of them and refuses to make eye contact with anyone . You position your self next to Petra slightly in order to open up the conversation to Zeke, Erwin, Eren and the others surrounding you. “You had an amazing article the other week! The fact you were able to code a major platform software, for a kickstarter company and graduate with honors is quite impressive, especially in a years time.” You chirp. 

His face gets as red as a tomato, he notices the approving nods from the other sharks in the water. Come on Armin, Swim. “Thank you! It was awesome really, and um, Lev- I mean Mr. Ackerman helped with picking it up...” He trails off. 

“Brat” You hear Levi mumble under his breath, and you weren’t going to let it go. 

“Me or Armin... Mr. Ackerman?” 

“You.” He replies bluntly. You come back, “and why is that?” 

“Pfft, If you want to be a golddigger, I think your crowd is that way,” he points to a group of women, “besides, go flirt with your pigs else where.” He sharply inhales and looks you dead in the eye. 

You giggle, “Ah good to know you view fellow partners as ‘Pigs’” you emphasize, “But I don’t eat meat.” It’s silent for a minute until you hear Erwin chuckle, “Wow Levi someone to match your remarks I see, all fun and games I assume.” 

You smile. You got your point across. You did feel bad for Armin though, this could potentially undermine him somewhere down the line. Levi was still tense and you could tell, He. Was. Pissed. His jaw moved showing he was clenching his teeth in frustration. “Armin I think you and Eren might have gone to school together? Let’s go get more drinks shall we?” You exit the group and maintain eye contact with Levi the entire time. Tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.  
——  
After sometime you decided to slip away outside where nobody would find you. Zeke has this under control. You made a fool out of Levi. And Eren was occupied with a old friend. The cool air hit your chest and it felt like a weight was taken off of your shoulders. You inhale deeply and exhale slowly, letting your posture go with it. You place both hands on the railing in front of you and look out at the city. What the fuck were you doing. Destroying some guys reputation in front of others was low even for you. But why was it bothering you. You will admit: Levi was handsome but so intense. He reminded you of someone you knew, but you couldn’t tell who. One thing was certain; you couldn’t get past those hurt eyes. 

You rolled your neck to relieve some tension, feeling the ache of your heels that you so desperately wanted to rip off. Stretching out your legs you sigh, 

“This isn’t what I want.”

“Yeah you can say that again” The same cold voice from before returned, “You made a fucking fool out of yourself”

You turn to see Levi has snuck up on you, “o-oh what!” Obviously flustered by the sudden intruder, “what the fuck?” 

He smirks slightly, now he has you, “Dropping the proper act I see now.” He approaches you boldly, leaning up against you, his breath against your neck. 

A shiver runs up your spine as you feel his breath creep around your skin. The light smell of something bitter reaches your nose. You look straight ahead, not wanting to meet his eyes, but you know they’re staring right at you, “I’m sorry” you mumble, moving to the side to give you some space (And to stop your heart from racing). 

“For making me look like a fucking hard ass? Yeah they already knew that, you just made yourself look fucking stupid.” He looks straight ahead out at the city.

This is the first time you’re able to really look at him. You start at the eyes and notice the way his eyes are shaped, narrow and slanted, hiding those icy gray beads. Then work your way down his flawless skin to his sharp jawline. You can feel the creeping up your face, “Are you gonna keep staring?” He breaks the silence, not looking at you. 

“Yeah I think I might” You huff, turning to face the city, “I’m sorry for making you angry” 

“You didn’t.”

“I saw your palms twitching when I complimented Petra and Armin. I’m not stupid so please don’t treat me like I am” You firmly state, leaving him no real room to budge. The air falls quiet again, but this time you decide to break the silence. 

“What do you think of me?” 

Levi looks at you, with softer eyes this time, his lips still creased in a sharp line, “I pity people like you.” He scoffs, “You’re just the typical woman, get married, have kids, its all bullshit.”

It hurts your heart for him to think so little of you when you were sure he saw right through you, as you’re about to counter he puts his index finger to his lips, “But I know you’re playing a game. What game, I don’t know.” He pauses, “What I do know is that you're intelligent and you’ve worked really hard against your brothers”

You can’t help but giggle at this point, “Maybe.. but that’s only just the start Mr. Ackerman,” you smile and turn back to the railing, “I just want someone to be happy. No matter at what cost. I try not to get into my fathers engagements as I don’t support them. But I will once the time comes” You let off on more than you should have.  
“I should be getting back, but thank you for listening Mr. Ackerman.” In that moment a sudden urge came over you. To turn around and tell him all of your secrets, all of your hopes, and all of your fears. For the first time in a long time, you felt safe. As you’re about to walk through the door, you stop and turn around, Levi’s eyes meet yours, “Oh, Please don’t pity me.”

— 

You strut back into the ballroom to find Eren and Zeke to get out of there. You’re trying your best to not be flustered on the outside, but inside the anxiety is starting to boil over. Why did he get you like this, its suppose to be the other way around. You just hope he doesn’t notice. 

You stop to scan the room, hoping to find Eren or Zeke in the near vicinity. You turn around, and see the door to outside open, and Levi slides through slowly slipping into the crowd. You take a deep breath, turning around to face the crowd, “AcK!” The small voice squeaks. 

“I am so sorry Armin,” You quickly apologize, grabbing his forearms to keep him from bumping into other people. “Are you okay? I’m sorry I’m so Frazzled..” 

“Y/n it’s okay. It happens” He smiles gently, he knows not to pry too much, “Thank you for helping me earlier. You knew I was nervous so you took charge of the conversations. You got Erwin Smith’s data specialist interested in my work,” 

“Plus I enjoyed watching you stand up to Mr. Ackerman” He whispers. 

“Well Armin, This won’t be the last time it happens. How was catching up with Eren?” You smile. 

Armin talks about university and having to deal with a rebellious Eren. You laughed at the thought, and continued with the conversation. You learned Eren had a girl who was “just his friend” but there was always something more. According to Armin he used to always walk her home from the library at late hours even when he wasn’t there. It was funny to hear about their younger days, their first time drinking, first time going to a party, first F on a test, Armin spilled everything, and it was truly a treat. 

The conversation with Armin calmed you down and gave you the energy you needed to return to Zeke and Eren unflustered.  
—  
After finding Zeke conversing with some people you slip beside him with Armin in tow. Among the people stand Erwin Smith, Levi, Petra, Eren, and a woman with glasses. Her eyes beam as soon as you bring Armin into the mix, “Armin, I would like to schedule a meeting to discuss more about your software production, it was already approved by shorty over there” She smiles at Levi. 

“Yes Armin we are very excited to work closer with you and Levi, this will be another one of our great joint projects.” Erwin chimes in. Armin glances at Levi who seems relatively unbothered. “I think we should all get together for a meeting sometime soon Zeke, Levi you’re included into this”

Zeke’s eyes get wide as if he’s surprised, A meeting with a competing cyber security firm and a software distribution company. Its an intriguing thought that’s rudely interrupted, “No way I’m out.” Levi States. 

“Oh Levi just come and see, I think both companies could benefit greatly from this! Plus this would give each of the Jaegar siblings a chance to do something.” Erwin excitedly states, handing you all business cards. “Listed are mine and Levi’s cell phone numbers.” 

Zeke smiles at the cards like its the Bible, “Thank you sir we will be in touch, have a wonderful evening.” 

“Yes Mr. Smith it was as pleasure meeting you,” you reach out the shake his hand once more. You smile and turn to your right, “It was a pleasure meeting you as well Mr. Ackerman”. 

“Ditto brat.”

**Author's Note:**

> HI I HOPE u enjoyyyyyy! First one:) long one :) A series:) Enjoy :)


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